Tailoring remained Dumbuya’s focus in the S/S 2023 collection – foppish double-breasted suits, diamond-cut blazers, tailored boiler suits – in shades of muted blue, green and brown, inspired by the works of Mark Rothko and the way colours blend in the American artist’s oeuvre (a metaphor of sorts, the designer said, for his own borderless vision). As such, he chose the title ‘Freedom of Movement’ for the collection, mining archival family photographs sourced from each member of the Labrum design team as inspiration for the eclectic collection (the photos spanned Europe, South Asia and West Africa). Labrum designer and founder Foday Dumbuya flew over musicians Freetown Uncut, Drizilik and DJ Rampage from his native Sierra Leone – Dumbuya was born in the country, before growing up in Britain where he continues to live and work – to provide the soundtrack for a celebratory outing that celebrated the concept of a ‘borderless society… different cultures living side by side’. ‘So I wanted this season to be injected with just as much fun as it is with fine textiles and carefully-crafted silhouettes.’ London Fashion Week S/S 2023: Labrum ‘I felt like this was the right time to focus on my own creative expression,’ said Lynch. It made for perhaps the designer’s most carefree collection yet. A requisite pair of Crocs – custom, and colour-matched to the garments – completed the look. A play on beachside attire ran alongside: bouclé outerwear recalled the towelling ponchos used to dry off on the beach, while tiny yellow nylon shorts (the colour of ‘mustard you might find baking in the sun on the terrace of the chip shop’) recalled skimpy swimwear. Throughout, Lynch riffed on what she deemed ‘mundane’ menswear garments – a bright-red Aran jumper was sliced along the sides, for example, or cargo pants rendered in crispy, semi-sheer nylon. The Ireland-born designer said she trawled eBay for the ‘ugliest, funniest, most charming’ souvenir T-shirts for inspiration as such, acid-rave smileys, cartoon crustaceans, and double-entendre slogans like ‘I caught crabs in Brighton’ were printed across the irreverent collection. London Fashion Week S/S 2023: Robyn LynchĪ trippy souvenir T-shirt from Mallorca, purchased by Robyn Lynch’s mother in 1983, provided the starting point for a playful collection that referenced seaside ephemera and first holidays without parents (‘an all-inclusive resort that’s somewhere very hot and very cheap’ as the notes described). Here are the standout shows of London Fashion Week S/S 2023. Elsewhere, off-schedule, Martine Rose made a much-anticipated return to the runway with a sexually charged collection shown in the railway arches of Vauxhall, a neighbourhood home to one of London’s longest-standing – and most resilient – queer communities. It also marked the first iteration of the event without restrictions since before the pandemic, giving a glimpse of how London Fashion Week might look in seasons to come.Ī diverse array of designers – many of which are part of the British Fashion Council’s Newgen incubator scheme – demonstrated a wide-ranging vision for the season, whether Ahluwalia’s ode to the continent of Africa, Labrum’s ‘borderless’ tailoring (soundtracked by musicians from Freetown, Sierra Leone), or Robyn Lynch’s love letter to hedonistic teenage holidays. Despite a slimmed-down schedule, London Fashion Week S/S 2023 – this season co-ed, replacing the early June spot previously taken by London Fashion Week Men’s – nonetheless demonstrated the energetic creative expression which has long defined the city.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |